I thought I’d go with a bit more mass appeal this time. (I’m picking artists that are heavily represented in my music collection, by the way. Next week, maybe Tom Waits or Mark Knopfler.)
Despite its massive overplay on the radio, and its overuse in other places, that the best song by The Who is “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.
There is no question, no doubt, no possibility except in some weird alternate reality, that if it isn’t everybody’s favorite song by The Who, it should be.
Only the third single. It’s succinct, compact and efficient. There’s no flab, every note is essential. It’s got a great, joyful riff and the lyrics sum up The Who ethos perfectly and all in under three minutes. It’s the perfect Who song. The others are too long and bloated and basically say the same thing. They could have split up right there and then after releasing that and we’d have heard all we needed to - we wouldn’t have lost any essential Who-ness from the world.
Ugh. I listened to Who’s Next so much as a teenager I can’t stand it any more. I was one of those classic albums I never bothered to replace when CDs came in.
I still can’t get enough of their older stuff, though. I think I have to go for “Pictures of Lily,” the first great rock song about whacking off.
If extended multi-song mini-operas are allowed, “A Quick One, While He’s Away.”
*We all know success when we all find our own dreams
And our love is enough to knock down any walls
And the future’s been seen as men try to realize
The simple secret of the note in us all *
This.
Also, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (including the “Listening to You” Tommy conclusion).
I also like “Love Ain’t for Keeping.”
(Great description of “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” scoots.)
